Gomez On Texas: “It’s Not A Team, It’s A Family”

ARLINGTON, TX - OCTOBER 07: Carlos Gomez #14 of the Texas Rangers kisses his bat prior to his at-bat against the Toronto Blue Jays in the eighth inning of game two of the American League Divison Series at Globe Life Park in Arlington on October 7, 2016 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

DALLAS (105.3 The Fan) – The Rangers season came to a dramatic halt on Sunday night. The AL West Champions had the best record in the American League, but had one of the worst three game stretches of the season. The offense combined to score 10 runs in the series and their starting pitching had an ERA of 13.94.

Despite the shortened postseason, Texas did everything they could to rebound from last year’s loss to the Blue Jays in the American League Division Series. Rangers President and General Manager Jon Daniels made big splashes at the trade deadline by acquiring outfielder/designated hitter Carlos Beltran and catcher Jonathan Lucroy. Both players made immediate impacts on the club for the rest of the regular season, however, they couldn’t get anything going in the postseason. The club will certainly pick up Lucroy’s $5.25 million club option for 2017, and will most likely look to lock him up for a few more seasons this winter. Beltran will turn 40 years old in April, however, he can still hit. Beltran, a free agent, will have many suitors, but the club could look to bring him back as a designated hitter/fourth outfielder next season.

Reliever Jeremy Jeffress was a nice addition to the bullpen, although, he was forced to miss most of the final month of the season as he was in rehab dealing with alcohol related issues. Despite that, Jeffress had a good showing when he returned, and he should hold down a prominent role in the bullpen in 2017.

Another impactful acquisition that Daniels made during the final month and a half of the season was to bring in former Astro, Carlos Gomez.

(Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) ARLINGTON, TX – AUGUST 31: Carlos Gomez #14 of the Texas Rangers celebrates with Elvis Andrus #1 of the Texas Rangers, Adrian Beltre #29 of the Texas Rangers and Mitch Moreland #18 of the Texas Rangers after hitting a grand slam against Felix Hernandez #34 of the Seattle Mariners in the bottm of the fourth inning at Globe Life Park in Arlington on August 31, 2016 in Arlington, Texas.

Gomez had hit .210 with Houston over 85 games and 295 at bats. The former all-star and gold glove outfielder had played so poorly that he was released on August 19.

Having just lost outfielder Shin-Soo Choo to a broken forearm, Daniels and the front office took a flyer on Gomez the very next day. Gomez signed a minor league deal and immediately became Jeff Banister’s starting left fielder.

He would go on to hit .284 in 116 at bats over the course of the 33 games he played, becoming the lead off hitter for the team with the best record in the American League.

Even though Gomez struggled in the abbreviated Division Series against the Blue Jays, he showed the Rangers that he still had something left to give the game.

Speaking to 105.3 The Fan’s Ben Rogers after being eliminated Sunday, Gomez expressed his desire to stay in Texas and credits the club with saving his career.

HOUSTON, TX – SEPTEMBER 12: Carlos Gomez #14 of the Texas Rangers advances to third base on a single by Ian Desmond #20 of the Texas Rangers in the first inning at Minute Maid Park on September 12, 2016 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)

“They already know it. They already know it. They give me this opportunity. It’s a big opportunity for 30 something games here. And I feel like I changed my career,” said Gomez. “I thought this year was my year, and I think, in my heart, that this is the best year that I’ve had in my career so far. And numbers wise, probably not. But they changed me and made me a better player, better person and a better human being.”

A question many wondered was how did this former all-star outfielder struggle so much in Houston and thrive with Texas? We always hear about how great the Rangers clubhouse is for players. Former teammates move on, but always say nothing but great things about the guys in the clubhouse after they leave. And it appears as if Gomez fit right in just like everybody else.

ARLINGTON, TX – SEPTEMBER 28: Carlos Gomez #14 of the Texas Rangers celebrates with Rougned Odor #12 of the Texas Rangers and Hanser Alberto #2 of the Texas Rangers after hitting a three run home run off of Tyler Thornburg #37 of the Milwaukee Brewers in the bottom of the eighth inning to beat the Brewers 8-5 at Globe Life Park in Arlington on September 28, 2016 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

“It’s not a team. It’s a family. Everybody here treats everybody the same. They pushed us. That’s why this team is so enjoyable. That’s why this team is so special. It’s different here. It’s not you rookie, you veteran… you get in the box, they’re gonna give energy for you. You get on the mound, they’re gonna give energy for you. When we lose a game, we lose like a family.”

Gomez probably won’t command a big contract on the open market, but an advantage for him is that that this year’s free agent class is very thin on productive players. However, according to Gomez, money isn’t everything he’ll be considering this offseason when he decides where to play in 2017 and beyond.

Carlos Gomez of the Texas Rangers walks off of the field after the Texas Rangers were defeated by the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 3 of the American League Division Series at the Rogers Centre on October 9, 2016 in Toronto, Canada. (credit: Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)

“This month and a half changed my career completely. I can’t wait to get home and continue to make this approach to next year,” said Gomez. “Of course I want to come back. If I had (this much) fun, that I enjoyed it so much for like a month and a half… I can’t imagine it for 180 something days. I put this in God’s hands… and they know that I love it here. I’m very loyal, it’s not always about money. I have money. It’s about enjoying the job that I love.”